Biden to travel to Florida on Sunday to survey Milton damage

President Joe Biden will travel to Florida on Sunday to survey damage from Hurricane Milton, the White House announced on Friday.

The White House did not offer specifics about Biden’s trip, only detailing that he will “visit areas impacted” by the storm that killed at least nine people and left millions without power after carving a path of destruction across the state.

It also did not say if Biden will meet with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a staunch ally of his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, or any other state officials. Florida is still recovering from Hurricane Helene, the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005, which swept through the Southwest earlier this month.

Biden has kept in close contact with DeSantis about the storm in the past week, communicating as recently as Thursday, saying ahead of the storm he even gave the governor his personal phone number.

Biden said he “made it clear” to DeSantis and other officials that “they should reach out, including to me directly, with everything else they may need as they see the storm hits … I’ve told them, anything they ask for, they can get.”

DeSantis and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president against Trump, have traded barbs in recent days after reports that the Florida governor declined to take her call ahead of Hurricane Milton. Biden, meanwhile, has repeatedly hammered Trump and other Republican officials spreading false claims about the federal government’s response to the storm.

Trump and his allies have seized on the aftermath of Helene to spread misinformation about the administration’s response. Their debunked claims include statements that victims can only receive $750 in aid as well as false charges that emergency response funds were diverted to immigrants.

Republican governors, including DeSantis, have praised the federal government’s response to the storm.

On Thursday, Biden said that storm misinformation is “bizarre” and “un-American.” 

“I mean, they’re being so damn un-American with the way they’re talking about this,” Biden added when asked by reporters about the topic on Thursday. 

Biden was asked if he has spoken with Trump about the misinformation.

“Are you kidding me?” Biden responded, before addressing the former president: “Former President Trump, get a life man, help these people.”

Biden visited Florida less than two weeks ago to survey damage from Helene. He also visited Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina to view the impact of the storm, which killed at least 227 people across six states, and meet with officials overseeing response efforts.